'Zika' virus Inevitably Spreads to America Causing Birth Defects

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Thousands of babies in the American continent have reportedly been suffering from the undesirable impacts caused by ‘zika’ virus, an infection brought and transmitted by aedes mosquitos. Early detection according to BBC, was in 1947 where victims reported to be monkeys in Africa.

The virus naturally spreads to Asian continent and made its way to the American region with many babies identified as being born with underdeveloped brains.

Microcephaly, a birth defect which these victimized babies identified as suffering from, has caused for many scientists worldwide to advise mothers in affected regions to postpone any desire to get pregnant.

This is because the likeliness of their baby to suffer from microcephaly is relatively high. The arguably short-lived outbreaks in affected continents have made the virus seemed neglected in the past while actually the impacts are carried through hitherto with data of victims continue to rise each day.

Citing from Scientificamerican, zika virus usually causes sufferer to undergo a week of flulike aches and rash at first. Worst-case scenario of the sufferer is to go through an alarming paralysis called Guillain-Barré syndrome and the aforementioned microcephaly condition.

Two days ago, the World Health Organization has declared that zika virus would spread throughout the Americas “because the mosquitoes that transmit it are everywhere except in Chile and Canada”.

It is particularly difficult for women in affected areas who have been advised to postpone getting pregnant when they already are expecting. Many of these women live in countries where abortion is illegal and therefore they have very few options to go with. Huffingtonpost describes that in El Salvador, women are encouraged to avoid becoming pregnant for a full two years until the epidemic is eradicated.